Review: Wartorn – Iconic Nightmare

Review: Wartorn – Iconic Nightmare

Wartorn
Iconic Nightmare
Southern Lord
Street: 01.22
Wartorn = Tragedy + Discharge + Assuck
Standard fare metallicrust casserole from Wisconsin is equal parts Profane Existence, Anti-Cimex and leftwing politix served up by “it” label Southern Lord, in their continued effort to stretch beyond the moldy confines of the doom-metal coffin. Iconic Nightmare doesn’t fail to entertain, what with the leads in “No Sanctuary, No Salvation” and the barking crustoleum of “Permanent Blackout” and “Knee Deep in Blood,” but it’s certainly not leading the charge into territory that hasn’t already been exhaustively mined by the same label (Martyrdod? Wolfbrigade?). Regardless, there’s nothing inherently wrong with a stateside metal-inflected punk band paying bullet-belted tribute to their Swedeath and D-beat forefathers, and these guys pull it off without any hitches. No one will hate it, but in the deluge of bands aping this style already, War Torn may just go unnoticed … and isn’t that worse, in the long run?